LHS Offering Student Fan Bus, Advance Ticket Sales for Saturday Semifinal

The athletic department is offering transportation for students interested in attending the school's football game Saturday in Peoria.

The Indians at 2 p.m. in the IHSA Class 6A semifinals. The winner will earn a trip to the state championship game, which will be played at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

Fans attending the game are asked to wear white in support of the Indians.

Lemont High School will hold advance ticket sales Wednesday and Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the school's Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) office. Tickets cost $6 and are available to the public.

Fans who do not wish to purchase tickets in advance may do so at one of the four ticket booths at Richwoods Stadium, located at 6301 N. University St. in Peoria. Parking will be available on the Richwoods campus, or at the adjoining Exposition Gardens.

Gates will open at 12:30 p.m. for the 2 p.m. kickoff. No outside food or beverage is allowed in the stadium. Seating for both teams will be on the same side of the field.

The fan bus is only available for students, and will cost $20 to ride. The fee includes a game ticket and transportation to and from the game. Tickets will be distributed upon arrival in Peoria.

The bus will depart from the school’s north lot — located off of Porter Street — promptly at 11 a.m. Students are strongly recommended to arrive on campus and begin loading the bus at 10:45 a.m.

The bus will begin its return trip to campus approximately 20 minutes after the conclusion of the game. The fan bus is scheduled to return to campus between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Students interested in taking the bus should obtain a parent permission form from either the Athletic Office or from the Lemont High School website. The form, along with the $20 fee, must be returned to the Athletic Office by 3 p.m. Thursday.

A minimum of 40 students must sign up in order for the student fan bus to travel to Peoria.

Saturday's game marks Lemont's first semifinal appearance since 2008, when the team finished as the IHSA Class 6A runner-up in the state championship.

The top-seeded Indians (12-0) defeated and South Suburban-Blue conference rival in the first two rounds of the 2011 IHSA playoffs. Last week, 29-0 in the 6A quarterfinal.

No. 5 Peoria Richwoods (9-3) has won nine consecutive games after starting off the 2011 season with three losses. They beat Normal Community (45-10) and Crete-Monee (51-36) in the first two rounds of the playoffs, and eliminated Danville last week with 20-19 win.

Richwoods advanced to the Class 5A semifinal in 2010, and won Class 5A state championships in 1984 and 1988.

Fans who cannot attend the game may view it online or on their mobile device by visiting www.ihigh.com/lhsindians.

For more information, contact Lemont High School’s athletic department at 630-243-3207.